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Relais
Villa Baldelli dates back to 1600 and still carries
the name of the local family which owned the villa.
The owners bought the building, in it’s abandoned
state, a few years ago with the intention of restoring
it to its former glory and transforming it as a charming
‘relais’ with every modern comfort whilst
faithfully keeping it’s original design.
 Relais Villa Baldelli, nestles beneath
the impressive hillside on which Cortona was built.
It is near Arezzo in Tuscany in the centre of the ‘golden
triangle’ of some of the most important artistic
sites in central Italy; Arezzo, Perugia, Siena, as well
as Assisi and Florence are just a short journey away.
The external architecture remains
as it was with it’s irregularly placed windows,
brick arches and doorways in worked ‘pietra serena’.
Inside the villa, the characteristics of a bygone age
have also been retained; walls in lime plaster, brick
ceilings supported on chestnut beams, terracotta floors,
doors and fittings, all restored using original materials,
are complemented by colours, patterns and decorations
of the period. The result of all this care is a delightful
intimate hotel with echoes of the medieval country rhythms
of life essential for a peaceful, relaxed stay.
 ACCOMMODATION: The public rooms have been restored
following the same philosophy offering a well stocked
bar and a comfortable,welcoming lounge with period
furnishings and warmed by the large original fireplaces.
The
quietly elegant dining room of the ‘Relais Villa
Baldelli’ offers breakfast of rediscovered traditional
ingredients and flavours, with interesting creative
touches. In the summer months breakfast is served on
the terrace in the shade of the centuries old trees
during. In the tasting room you will find a quality
list of wines and spirits.
The fifteen bedrooms created by the
restoration, in the main house and in the dower house,
are all different in terms of size, shape and decoration,
each one elegantly furnished with antique pieces and
carefully chosen fabrics which add to the beauty and
atmosphere of the villa.  All the bedrooms have colour
satellite television, mini-bar and safe, which have
been sensitively inserted into wall niches, as well
as an interconnecting telephone service. The large bathrooms
have either a bath or shower with hydro massage and
hairdryers. All these details have been carefully studied
to give a high standard of hospitality and to ensure
that the Relais Villa Baldelli once found will not be
forgotten.
THE GARDEN AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT: The twelve acres of park, with it’s
enormous old trees and established plants, provide a
perfect backdrop to the hotel and offer an encouragement
to those who like to wander gently through a beautiful
setting. Here you will find the swimming pool (18 x
9 meters) with it’s panoramic view of Cortona
and a full size golf driving range with a putting green
and one par-three type hole for chipping and iron practice
on the premises.
Very
near the Relais Villa Baldelli there is a riding school
where  rides through the woods up to Monte S. Egidio
or across the valley to Lago Trasimeno can be arranged
for our guests.
Our staff, whilst taking care of each
of our visitors as if they were a personal guest, can
also help with suggestions for interesting local itineraries,
whether naturalistic or artistic, assisting you to experience
the history, traditions, the man-made and natural beauty
that is such an essential element of Cortona.
ABOUT CORTONA: Cortona is the city that Virgil believed
founded by the mythical Dardano. It was probably fortified
by the Umbrans to then be taken over by the Etruscans
and made into an important Locumonia between the VIIIth
and VIIth centuries B.C. Little is known of the city
after it’s recognition under the Romans during
the Civil Wars until it’s lively history in the
Commune period and thereafter under the seigniorial
leadership of Ranieri Casali. The city was sold to the
Florentines by the king of Naples in 1411 and , thereafter,
 followed the fortunes of the Granducato of Tuscany.
The
massive weather beaten walls of Cortona, built on a
spur of Monte S. Egidio, are broken only where the ancient
gates open to the roads leading up from the valley below.
From these walls the visitor to Cortona has before him
one of the most beautiful, extensive panoramas in Italy:
below him lies the immense fertile Val di Chiana closed
in the far distance by the Sienese hills, above which
rise the mountains of Amiata and Cetona, and a little
nearer the glittering surface of Lago Trasimeno.
Just a few metres from the Relais
Villa Baldelli are some of the many Etruscan tombs discovered
in the area amongst which the most famous are the Tanella
di Pitagora, the Melone di Sodo, Ipogeo Etrusco di Camucia. The Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca in Palazzo Casali
in Cortona houses a rich collection of local archeological
finds, the most famous being the Etruscan candalabra
of  the V century B.C.
Above the restored Sanctuary of Santa
Margherita the Medici fortress dominates the heights
of Cortona. From here, the ancient paved roads of the
city run steeply down towards the centre, passing medieval
and renaissance palazzi of great architectural value,
and the many splendid churches; S. Agostino and S. Francesco
from the Romanesque and Gothic periods, the exquisite
renaissance designs of S. Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio
and S. Maria Nuova and the peacefully silent S. Niccolò.
Cortona
was the home of Luca Signorelli and Pietro Berrettini,
better known as Pietro da Cortona, and the birthplace
of Gino Severini. The city has an outstanding collection
of fine art, the most famous being Fra Angelico’s
Annunciation in the Museo Diocesano. The Museo dell’Accademia
Etrusca and the many churches within the city offer
other fine works.  Of immense academic interest is the
collection of parchments, manuscripts, incunabula and
printed volumes in the Biblioteca Comunale and the Accademia
Etrusca.
In recent years, Cortona has been
the home of the American University of Georgia, providing
a further stimulus to the intellectual life of the city
and has also become better know to the American public
through the books of Frances Meyes, which, narrated
with Cortona as their backdrop, remained at the top
of the bestsellers in American for several months.
Rome airport is 2 ¼ hours and Florence airport
about 1½.
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